Top 100 US Exporters

The Journal of Commerce’s annual Top 100 U.S. Importers and Exporters ranking begins with data from PIERS, a sister product of The Journal of Commerce within IHS, and is enhanced by information gathered from other industry sources.

The figures are expressed in 20-foot-equivalent units, or TEUs, the most common measurement of containerized ocean shipping. One standard 40-foot ocean container equals two TEUs.

These lists are restricted to shippers — beneficial owners of containerized cargo that entered or exited U.S. ports by ocean vessel during 2015. The statistics don’t include shippers associations, carriers, non-vessel-operating common carriers, forwarders or brokers, third-party logistics providers, banks, or “to-order” negotiable bills of lading, or data falling under privacy strictures. International import and export cargoes moving into and out of the U.S. via air, rail or truck are not included.

In tandem with last year’s ranking and considerable industry research, the list also identifies corporate subsidiaries and strives to reflect any changes in corporate status related to mergers, acquisitions, spinoffs, formal name changes or bankruptcy filings. We also identify the location of corporate headquarters and, if the global headquarters is outside the U.S., the parent company. We indicate a website if one is available and the industry sector, adding a short note about each company, often recent news or an interesting fact.

These rankings represent our best approximation of the total international oceanborne shipments by these companies and their subsidiaries. We welcome your feedback.

Chinese companies are expecting more restrictions on wastepaper imports in early 2015 following a proposal circulated in August by the Ministry of Environmental Protection that reflects a growing emphasis on environmental protection.

Some of the fastest-climbing companies on the JOC’s Top 100 Importers and Exporters rankings share a common trait: They either partner with or are part of a conglomerate that allows them to create synergies of scale.